Austin Homebrew Pliny the Elder clone

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McGlothan

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Hi,

I just received the all-grain kit in the mail today. I did a lot of research on the best way to brew Pliny at the best price. Only More Beer and Austin Homebrew seem to have kits put together to order online. More Beer seems to always be out of stock. Anyway, there isn't a whole lot of info out there about about which kit is better out of the two. The kit seems to be right on with the price. It would cost just as much to buy the ingredients separately as it does to buy the kit, unless you buy everything in bulk of course. The kit follows this recipe (which I will post below) and comes with very thorough instructions and has very neat packaging to top it off. I paid about 60 bucks all said and done. I cant wait to brew it! Definitely a good buy. I just thought I would share because I was looking for this sort of info when I was shopping around.

Cheers!

Shawn
http://beerdujour.com/recipes/1pliny the elder clone pdf.pdf
 
I bought mine from Austin Homebrew. I just kegged it today and cant wait to see how it comes out!! The hardest part is going to be waiting for it to finish.
 
I will brew it sometime this week. How much beer do you think you ended up with? Was there a lot of loss to trub with the insane amount of hops in it?
 
I got a little over 4.5 gallons. I definately lost more than anticpated and there was a ton of trub! I have never tried the real pliny since they dont sell it anywhere in my area. It will be tough to compare it to what it should be like. It smells real goos though!
 
I bet! How could it not with all of those amazing hops varieties in it. Let me know how it turns out.
 
I ordered my kit from AHS on Monday and it is being delivered tomorrow. We are going to brew it on Sunday. I am excited!
 
I ordered my kit from AHS on Monday and it is being delivered tomorrow. We are going to brew it on Sunday. I am excited!
Awesome! It looks like you will be getting to brew yours before me. I ordered a false bottom for my kettle because I only had been using a bazooka screen in the past. I feel the screen will get pretty gummed up and cause very slow drainage. There are a lot of hops in this one. Hope it goes well. I cant wait!
 
I just pulled my first pint from the keg of the Pliny the Elder clone from the AHS kit (all grain) And WOW it is good!! It is much better than I thought it would be. It has a nice floral aroma, a little piney, citrus. I expected the hops to be overbearing because of the amounts you put in and the double dry hopping. You get the strong bitterness of hops in the first sips, but it smooths out so nicely as you drink more. I cant compare the kit to the actual pliny since I have never had the real thing as they dont sell it in my region. I have it ice cold in the kegerator and I am sure it will go quick in my house. Lol.
Ill be making another back in the near future (minus the kit). You guys are gonna love it!
 
Brewed mine yesterday. Didn't have the lid closed all the way...

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I brewed my clone on Friday, I am glad I made a hop spider for this batch! Man, this sure does smell good. It makes a nice air freshener in the living room!
 
Took a sample to test FG yesterday, it was delicious! Almost ready for secondary/dry hop
 
Took a sample to test FG yesterday, it was delicious! Almost ready for secondary/dry hop
Im right behind you, I brewed mine on Friday. It had a quick start fermenting so Its been a solid 4 days. I cant wait to try it before secondary. It smells sooo good.
 
Wow! I wish I had pictures. I just tasted my FG sample and it is excellent. I did a primary for 2 weeks, dry hop/secondary for 9 days, then cold crashed in the keezer for a day. I will probably put a good chill on it a couple of days and then keg it. I know now what the hype is about this recipe. fantastic! How did all of yours turn out by the way?
 
I kegged mine last weekend and cracked it open this weekend.

The smell is wonderful! As for the taste, I like it but right after the initial flavor, I taste something very bland/bitter, then it goes back to a good IPA/hop flavor. I need to find someone that can help me identify the taste and what it is/how to fix it for next time. Maybe it'll go away after another week or so.

It is good though, I like it!
 
I kegged mine last weekend and cracked it open this weekend.

The smell is wonderful! As for the taste, I like it but right after the initial flavor, I taste something very bland/bitter, then it goes back to a good IPA/hop flavor. I need to find someone that can help me identify the taste and what it is/how to fix it for next time. Maybe it'll go away after another week or so.

It is good though, I like it!
Its strange you say that. I had the same thought at the first sip today. Lacking body, and very bitter/grassy hop flavor. I nailed every temp/gravity right on the money. My fermentation temp remained at 68 degrees the entire time. I also only dry hopped for 9 days. I know what things contribute to these flavors but I don't feel like I did any of those things. I did squeeze the $@&%! out of the hop sack in the kettle to get all of the wort out but that hasn't caused these flavors before. Next time I might try this recipe upping the grain bill, lowering the corn sugar, and racking to secondary for a couple of weeks BEFORE adding the dry hops to let it condition a bit longer. I thought at first it was the sediment at the bottom of the keg, but the second and third glass had the same flavor. Maybe it will get better after the next couple of pours. I also didnt use any whirlfloc which I might do next time. We will see how it continues to taste. But once you keg and carbonate, thats what you get right?
 
The characteristic will definitely change over time in the keg, it could settle into the perfect Pliny still :)
 
My AHS clone on the left, real Pliny on the right.


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I like the aroma of mine, but it still has that off taste. Real Pliny is so smooth throughout.
 
My grassy flavor has subsided. It has turned into a very nice IPA. I think the first few glasses were picking up extra sediment. It looks like the exact same color as yours Vince. I will say it isn't quite the Pliny though. Being a long term fan of Pliny I can tell the differences between the two. I am not knocking this kit at all and I will definitely recommend it to others AND buy it again myself. AHS is a great place to support and I commend them for all they bring to the brewing community. All this being said, I am not sure I have ever made or tried a clone that was EXACTLY like the original. The AHS kit was exactly per the recipe that Vinnie from Russian River gave out so the difference must be in the method and equipment. Mine is very good and will be enjoyed thoroughly. It packs a big punch!
 

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